PROVIDENCE -- Rhode Island legislators on Tuesday heard testimony on a bill to tax soda to help prevent obesity.
The proposed tax would add 5 cents to every container of soda or sugary beverage under 20 ounces and 10 cents to every container over 20 ounces. The money would go to cities and towns.
Soda is already subject to Rhode Island's 7 percent sales tax. The proposed soda tax would be added on top of that.
Diet soda, fruit juices, coffee, tea and milk would be exempt from the tax.
"Adding the tax can help people make the choice. This bottle is going to be 5 cents more. I'll go with the flavored water instead," said Rep. Edith Ajello, D-Providence, the bill's sponsor.
The idea is to encourage people to drink water instead of sugary soda, which can lead to weight gain.
"These are retail taxes. They're intended to be passed onto the consumer to influence the consumer's choice," said Steve DeToy of the Rhode Island Medical Society. "They're, in my view, a sin tax."
But critics say the tax would unfairly punish consumers, and the soft drink industry says soda isn't necessarily any worse than other sugary foods and drinks.
"Two tablespoons of sugar in an apple juice is no different than two tablespoons of sugar in Coca-Cola," said John Hulahan of Coca-Cola.
Beverage executives also said the tax could lead to the elimination of jobs in Rhode Island.
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